
"I'll Make a Man Out of You" is a song written by composer Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Mulan (1998). Appearing on the film's soundtrack Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is performed by American singer Donny Osmond as the singing voice of Captain Li Shang in lieu of American actor BD Wong, who provides the character's speaking voice. The song also features contributions from Lea Salonga as the singing voice of Mulan, Eddie Murphy as Mushu, and Harvey Fierstein, Jerry Tondo and Wilder himself as Yao, Chien-Po and Ling, respectively. In addition, Mushu has a speaking line unlike the other characters in the song. "I'll Make a Man Out of You" was written to replace the song "We'll Make a Man of You" after the film's original songwriter Stephen Schwartz departed from the project in favor of working on DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt (1998). Wilder and Zippel were inspired to complete the song after conceiving its ironic title, and the initial draft of the track was immediately approved by Disney. Prior to Mulan, Osmond had auditioned for the role of Hercules in Disney's Hercules (1997), a role for which he was ultimately turned down by the directors because they felt that he sounded too old. Disney eventually cast Osmond as the singing voice of Shang because his singing voice is similar to Wong's speaking voice. An up-tempo military-style song that incorporates both Eastern and Western musical styles, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is performed by Shang during a rigorous training montage in which his young, inexperienced soldiers attempt to justify their worth. The song's title is considered ironic because Mulan, who relies on intelligence, ultimately proves more competent than her male comrades, including Captain Li Shang, who takes a liking to her, while its lyrics explore hyper-masculinity contradicted with Mulan's gender. "I'll Make a Man Out of You" has received mostly positive reviews from film and music critics, some of whom dubbed it the film's best song, while praising Osmond's performance. Critics have also drawn comparisons between the song and Disney's Hercules, while likening Mulan's role and transformation to actress Demi Moore's performance as Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil in the film G. I. Jane (1997). The song has since appeared on several "best of" Disney songs lists, including those of Total Film and the New York Post. Discussed by film critics, film historians, academic journalists and feminists, the song has gone on to be recorded and covered in several different languages—namely Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish—by entertainers Jackie Chan and Cristian Castro, respectively.

I'll Make a Man Out of You

Songs
for Songs in Disney's MULAN (BETTER LIVE ACTION REMAKE)
Suggested by enzotakerian

This live action remake of "Mulan" will be a LOT BETTER than the 2020 remake. It will have accurate depictions of Ancient China and still have the charm and songs of the animated 1998 movie. And FOR SURE, Mushu will be in it. Historically, China was not at war with the Huns. The enemies during the Wei Dynasty included the Xiongnu and the Rourans. When China is invaded by the Xiongnu (led by the ruthless Shan-Yu), the Emperor sends out his army to gather as many new recruits as possible. Each new recruit will be the father or eldest son of each family. Aging veteran, Hua Zhou volunteers, but given his condition, he'll totally die out there. His daughter, Mulan (who couldn't impress the town matchmaker), protests because she's worried, but her father won't listen. Late in the night, Mulan decides to don her father's old armor, disguising herself as a man to take Zhou's place. Upon seeing her sneak out, her family prays to their ancestors to watch over her. The ancestors reluctantly send the small clumsy dragon, Mushu, to be Mulan's guardian protector throughout her journey. At the camp, Mulan sees that the other recruits are rude and disgusting and they give her a hard time in almost every way. Her disguise name is "Ping". Without letting him know, Mulan also falls in love with Captain Li Shang.




